Armstrong's The Floor Board BlogOur goal with this blog is to provide you with valuable information you can use when choosing a new floor for your home.2015-03-31T20:09:43Z/flooring-blog/feed/atom/WordPressNECarl/flooring-blog/?p=34482015-03-31T20:09:43Z2015-03-31T20:09:43Z

Contemporary design…is that like the Jetson’s sweet futuristic pad? Not exactly. Contemporary (as opposed to Modern) design is characterized by a casual, livable style with smooth lines, neutral color palettes, and lots of light, open spaces.

There are few rules in Contemporary design, and most of them are made to be broken. It’s a bit eclectic in that frequently you’ll see industrial objects or materials like concrete and metal paired with more natural elements, like wood or greenery. Let’s take a look at the style of “now” with a five contemporary rooms from our photo archives.

1. Mixed Mediums

Some people think of contemporary design as being the same as modern design. Modern design, though, is really a style that was popular in the mid-century. Because contemporary design is the “design of now,” it typically borrows from lots of different styles of the past. That’s why you’ll see some distinctly modern design elements in many of our contemporary rooms.

Solid Oak Hardwood Flooring in Mystic Taupe

In this room, there is a marriage of the natural and the man-made. Pairing a light oak hardwood floor in a wide plank (Prime Harvest Solid Oak Hardwood in Mystic Taupe)with stainless steel industrial elements provides a refreshing contrast. The dark blue cabinets and black accessories also create visual distinction in the room. And rounding out the spare, clean lines of the furniture and cabinets in this room is the use of open shelving, a popular and very current divergence from traditional cabinetry.

Here’s a striking opposite of the last room, this time starring a dark, wide-plank hickory hardwood floor from the Artesian Hand-Tooled collection. It is paired with dark cabinets — a bold choice — but one that works well with the light walls and white cabinets seen in the background of this room. Pairing the rustic feel of the hardwood with the more industrial stainless steel island and appliances gives the room a very up-to-the-minute appeal. If you’re looking to change the tone of a more traditional room, check out the modern black chair to the right of the photo. Adding a small detail like this can often change the feel of a whole room.

3. Colorful Contemporary

CushionStep Vinyl Sheet Flooring shown in Eagle Rock – Chimney Ash

While contemporary decorating is full of examples of neutral color schemes, colorful accessories and paint are ways to keep in stride with the times without making a major commitment to one style or color. In this contemporary room, the flooring is an edgy vinyl sheet: Eagle Rock in Chimney Ash. A great choice for contemporary living spaces like this urban loft, it works well in a small space where living room, dining room, and kitchen often overlap. In this instance, the sofa and tables are the neutral elements in white, accented by bold chairs, accessories and artwork.

Again, this urban loft setting shows how vinyl sheet (Whitewashed Walnut – Harbor) can be a great product for your living areas beyond kitchens and bathrooms. What makes this space so up-to-date is the rich neutral brown materials combined with the sleek metal end tables and chic exposed brick walls. This pairing of the natural wood look flooring (in a versatile vinyl sheet made with a natural look and texture) with the sleeker modern shelving, tables, and chairs makes the room feel open and inviting. Note the apt choice of a bold accent color – it’s the final touch in a very contemporary space.

5. Urban Farmhouse

Millwork Block Laminate Flooring in Burnt Ombre

Just because you live in an urban space doesn’t mean you can’t have a contemporary country feel to your home. Shown above, this laminate floor from the Rustics Premium collection (Millwork Block in Burnt Ombre) is a beautiful, richly varied floor with nearly 5-inch planks. The neutral yet classic chair and sofa pair so nicely with the metal shelving on roller wheels along with the more industrial coffee table/desk situated in front of the sofa. The soft purple accents show a shabby-chic side to this urban loft, creating an eclectic atmosphere that clearly is the style of now.

No matter what kind of style you have, the style of now is yours. We can help you find the right floor for your space – comfortable, practical, beautiful, and functional. You bring the rest!

If you think of flooring like a decadent, luxurious meal (and who doesn’t?), then you’ll find that pairing your floor with a rich, earthy color like Marsala is very natural. Pantone’s 2015 color of the year has a lot to love about it. Like, it’s named after a fortified wine. Good start!

According to the color gurus at Pantone, Marsala is a very versatile color, “equally appealing to men and women.” They refer to the color as “stirring and flavorful” and “sultry and subtle.” In terms of home décor over fashion, Pantone’s Color Intelligence crew loves Marsala. “Dramatic,” they opine, “and at the same time grounding.”

Let’s see how some of our favorite rooms look with a splash of Marsala.

Drama Queens and Kings: Use Your Powers for Good

Global Reclaim Laminate Flooring – Worldly Hue

In this room, Marsala is used to create drama on a few strategic walls in this open kitchen. One thing to love about this kitchen is the blending of modern and traditional. The dark subway tiles and stainless steel appliances are sleek and modern, but the rustic copper and wood hood and the original wood ceiling beams bring in the natural. It comes together with this fantastic Global Reclaim Laminate Floor. If you follow the link you can see the original photo…and what a difference the Marsala makes to the feel of the room.

Complementary Colors

American Scrape Hardwood Flooring – Honey Bee Cherry

Two-tone cabinets are very popular right now. The key is finding a wall color that looks great with both. Here in this kitchen, Marsala makes the white cabinets pop, but juxtaposes well with the gray island. Again, the eclectic blend of modern and traditional really works well. As for the floor? This hearty neutral hardwood – a trendy wide-plank American Scrape Hardwood in Honey Bee Cherry – is just what is needed to blend from kitchen to dining room.

For the More Subtle Folk

Prime Harvest Oak Hardwood Flooring – Blackened Brown

Not feeling as bold as painting your walls? Marsala can be used as the perfect accent color. We’ve found that, true to what the Pantone folks have said – it goes well with just about any style, décor and color. In this artful living room, Marsala looks stunning next to the spa-like blue walls, without being heavy or overbearing. The curtains, accent pillows, and throw rug are enough to tie everything together. Making the sofas and chairs the neutral gray and white colors reverses some traditional roles in decorating, but we think it looks great. The flooring is also a wide-plank hardwood – Prime Harvest Solid Oak in Blackened Brown.

Are you one of those people with a fear of commitment? Don’t get all sweaty: we’re talking about accessories here. If walls and larger accessories aren’t an option, you can update a space with a few small changes that will really pop. In this bathroom, you can see that once again, the light blue works well with the Marsala accessories. Here we’ve changed some – not all – of the vases to an earthy Marsala color. And who doesn’t love fresh new towels in a trendy new color? With a neutral floor – like this CushionStep Premium vinyl flooring in Capadocia Travertine – you can stay on top of fashion trends with just a few small changes.

We’ve got a lot of advice for things that could happen during your Big Game party. Spills and tracked-in dirt? Seems legit. Spots caused by food, water, or animals? Could happen. Grease, lipstick, crayon, ink, heel marks? It’s starting to sound like quite a party! Chewing gum or candle wax? Things just started getting real…what kind of party is this again? Deep scratches or gouges? Well, we hope not, but we’ve even got that covered.

When all the guests are gone, the six-foot party subs and seven-layer dip are devoured, and the cheers and wails have died down, here’s your one-stop guide to ensure your victory over any cleaning emergencies that arise:

Hardwood

Got hardwood? We’ve got YOU covered with a comprehensive maintenance guide for hardwood flooring. Here are a few quick pointers:

Nothing captures the holiday spirit more than spending time with family and creating memories to last a lifetime. Maybe it’s a warm rug in front of a blazing fire. Maybe it’s curling up in front of the tree with all the lights off, just basking in the glow. Or maybe it’s boisterous family meals served up home-style in your Grandma’s dining room. Whatever “it” is for you, we hope you enjoy your holidays as much as we do.

For this post, please enjoy these Rustic Holiday trends(and hey, maybe we’ll throw in some great floors or two for that “New Year, New You” thing you have going).

Burlap: Not Just For Sacks Anymore

You know what is SUPER hot right now (and itchy, if you have to wear it)? Burlap. Nope, not kidding…our drab and severely maligned friend, burlap, has made a trendy comeback as more than just a place to stick your stash of coal. This time of year, it’s fancy table runners, tree garlands, wreaths, gift wrap – you name it. If you can DIY it, and you want to push it right over the top, just add burlap. Our opening photo is a great holiday wreath featuring burlap from the blog addicted2DIY.com. Ann Drake over at the On Sutton Place blog has a simple and gorgeous way for you to create a rustic burlap table runner, shown below. The best part? It’s NO SEW! And we love the sound of that.

Holiday burlap table runner from Ann Drake at On Sutton Place blog

Speaking of DIY…

Hey, we know you’re creative. You made all kinds of things out of your leftover flooring! Here’s another beautiful piece for a rustic holiday touch, made from reclaimed barn wood. Hint: you could make that out of leftover flooring, too! But if you’re not creative (like me…I’m more of a Pinterest Fail myself), you can head on over to Etsy to find this great piece.

Merry Christmas on reclaimed wood, from Etsy

Chalkboards: Not Just for One-Room Schools Anymore

You’ll have to let me know about this one, but…chalkboards: still hot or not? I think they’re so versatile and a decorating product you can use all year ‘round. Another potential DIY project, chalkboards seem to go on well with the burlap/reclaimed wood rustic theme. Just to prove it, here’s a rustic holiday display with ALL THREE: burlap and a chalkboard (that is made out of reclaimed wood). This is from Kelly at the Lily Pad Cottage, who once again stuns with her gorgeous sense of style.

Holiday mantle from The Lily Pad Cottage blog.

Rustic Flooring to Complement Your Style

If you’re loving these looks, you might wonder…how can carry this look through to other parts of my home? The answer is simple. We’ve got lots of rustic flooring that is sure to capture your inner burlap. Or your inner chalkboard. Here’s one example:

Rough Cut Khaki Laminate Flooring

You know what this room is missing? Yes. Some artfully not-sewn burlap table runners and a thoughtfully-placed chalkboard café sign…and voila! You’re one of the rustic cool kids. Even the name of this floor: Rough Cut Khaki – that’s almost burlap, right?

Another fave: this Maple Hardwood in Burnt Almond. You want to talk rustic? They made a CHAIR out of STICKS, my friend. The people who live here are definitely high on the rustic scale. The shutters are…well they look like old, reclaimed shutters! Above the fireplace? That is a very large piece of beautiful reclaimed wood. While there is a glaring lack of burlap in this image, one can imagine that fantastic mantle, decorated for the holidays, sporting a burlap wreath with the corresponding pine cones and other foliage.

Maple – Burnt Almond hardwood

We hope you’ve enjoyed our take on holiday décor, and have some ideas for how an Armstrong floor can play nicely with just about any style. And remember: if Santa brings you coal, you can always hope it’s in a burlap sack. There’s so, so much you could do with that. Happy Holidays!

]]>0NECarl/flooring-blog/?p=33552015-01-22T19:18:03Z2014-11-07T21:04:51ZWhat are the hottest new trends in flooring? In this post, we’re going to talk about a few of the latest. The first is mixed species wood looks, laminate floors that mix different species together into attractive and rustic looks. Second is wide plank flooring, a look that can be achieved with laminate, hardwood, and luxury vinyl. And last, there is reclaimed wood – flooring that embodies the look of wood salvaged from abandoned farms and factories.

Let’s take a tour of how to achieve these looks in your home today!

Mixed Wood Species

Let’s get technical for a minute. The mixed species flooring we’re talking about today is a realistic looking, authentic wood look in laminate. Why laminate? Because you can’t get this look using real wood. Different species of wood, like hickory, red oak, and white oak look great together – but they have different expansion properties, so a mixed species hardwood would crack and fall apart with changes in the weather. A mixed species laminate, on the other hand, captures the beauty of the varying species and marries them for an easy-to-install, durable floor.

Woodland Reclaim – Architectural Remnants Laminate

There are three different laminate floors that can achieve this look for you:

Woodland Reclaim in the Architectural Remnants laminate collection combines nine different species of wood: birch, red oak, sycamore, pine, teak, elm, ash, white oak and hickory. There are 16 unique planks and 3 different widths in this gorgeous new look.

Global Reclaim, also part of Architectural Remnants, uses exotic hardwood species like apple wood, eucalyptus and exotic maple.

Rounding out the mix is Millwork Block, which is part of the Rustics Premium Collection. Millwork Block is a concentrated design that has three sought-after species: hickory, red oak, and white oak.

Wide Plank Flooring

Cherry – Amberwood Hardwood Flooring

Planks that are five inches or wider are considered wide plank floors. Once found only in 19th century farmhouses, wide plank flooring is showing up in new construction everywhere. You can achieve this look with many flooring types:

Hardwood: Available in both engineered and solid hardwood, many homeowners use these floors when they want to convey an authentic, rustic feel. Many of the wide planks are also hand-scraped or distressed, so you can get beautiful textures and variation on your floor.

Laminate:Wide plank laminate floors come in almost every color and style. They even come in hand-scraped wood looks, and in a luxurious-looking random plank look. A particular customer favorite is Forestry Mix in White Washed, a fantastic light laminate that evokes a beach house feeling.

Luxury Vinyl: You can get a lot of wide plank luxury vinyl looks here. Many of these luxury vinyl planks are wider than 6 inches and look and feel like real wood. Reviewers love these floors for their ease of cleaning, great looks, and beautiful visuals, so be sure to check out what our customers have to say.

Reclaimed Wood

Skip Planed – Blackened Brown – Architectural Remnants Laminate

Many people think of old barn floors as reclaimed wood – which is true – but there are many places that suggest the look of reclaimed wood. Our Coastal Living™ Premium Laminate collection offers a wide plank, ocean-kissed reclaimed wood look that will last for many years.

You can also get the reclaimed wood look from the Architectural Remnants laminate collection. A customer favorite is Skip Planed in Blackened Brown – a distinctive wide plank distressed wood in a unique burnished black look.

Many of these looks overlap within collections, so if the reclaimed wood, wide planks, and mixed species looks are your style, we have plenty of mix-and-match options to choose from.

]]>0NECarl/flooring-blog/?p=33252015-01-22T19:18:52Z2014-10-19T18:54:13ZWhen I was young, my favorite Aunt used to take seasonal decorating very seriously. She had boxes upon boxes of knick knacks to get out and dust off, which turned every surface into a fabulous (very kitschy) display. In the Fall, she changed the placemats, table runner, and napkins to red, golds, and oranges. She changed out all the hand-towels (pumpkins) and even changed the curtains (fall foliage). It was out of hand, and took her a full weekend to accomplish.

Who has time to decorate like this today! We’re in favor of keeping it simple. The floor you choose is a foundation, a background for your taste, and can help you with keeping your life and your seasonal decorations simple. Check out some of our room scenes below, along with a few decorating pointers.

Choose a Neutral Backdrop

A great way to make decorating for any season easy is to start with a neutral canvas. Simple, clean white or beige cabinets and a neutral flooring choice create a great backdrop for decorating. If you can believe it, this versatile flooring that goes with anything is vinyl from our Duality Premium Plus collection. Its rich varied tones are great for this season – or any season. Because this room is so neutral, a simple change of throw pillows to orange, yellow and brown can create a completely different feel to the room. A simple display of colorful foliage rounds out the look and pops against the neutral background.

Vinyl Flooring – Deep Forest in Tempest Red

Invest in Some Seasonal Pillow Covers

Look online for pillow covers that you love, and your neutral bedroom will come to life each season. This beautiful bedroom is set up for cozy pajamas, a great book and cup of hot tea. The neutral floor (it’s laminate in a great color called Black Forest) and furnishings are a great backdrop. The easy-to-replace pillow covers bring a seasonal element to the room, and pair well with an area rug in a similar motif.

Reserve Collection Laminate Flooring – Black Forest

If you’re looking to make your seasonal decorating simple (and easy to store), then purchasing some pillow covers in a seasonal color is a great bet.

Available on Etsy

Minimal Impact

Let’s face it. We’ll never complete with the people who paint whole rooms a seasonal color and slipcover the sofa for the season. You want to go the opposite direction? Embrace a minimalist philosophy. You know what really says Autumn? Leaves. Pumpkins. Family. These things are in abundance right now and couldn’t be easier.Are you crafty? Check out this rustic and simple idea to bring a fall feeling into your home.

What’s new in the world of laminate? Color variation, reclaimed wood looks, and subtle textures! These three hot flooring trends drove our latest releases in laminate flooring.

In this post, we’ll show you our three new looks: Global Reclaim laminate flooring, which is part of the Architectural Remnants collection; three new flooring colors in Forestry Mix which is in the Rustics Premium collection; and Millwork Block, which is also in Rustics Premium.

All three brand new products make use of different planks to create a highly varied board look, and have a realistic texture.

Global Reclaim Laminate Flooring

Inspired by reclaimed wood floors, this Global Reclaim flooring in Worldly Hue can take you to cozy places – a cozy cabin, a refurbished urban loft, or a rustic cottage. There are several elements that drive the look of these Global Reclaim floors:

Within the Rustics Premium collection, we have three new colors in Forestry Mix: Brown Washed, Gray Washed, and White Washed. Like the others in the Rustics Premium collection, these new floors have scraped textures and farmhouse-style wide boards. In addition, these floors look like they’ve aged naturally – with details like natural knots, chatter marks, and mineral streaks. Each color has 24 planks for a varied board look.

Forestry Mix in Brown Washed, White Washed, and Gray Washed

Millwork Block Laminate Flooring

These floors blend the old and new with patchwork and mismatched designs. “Distressed floors offer the look of antiqued visuals that work well in both contemporary and traditional settings,” says Armstrong Designer Sara Babinski.

Millwork Block is distinctive due to its texture, which has been enhanced by a subtle undulating surface treatment. It also marries 18 unique planks with the look of premium oak strips.

Rustics Premium Laminate Flooring in Millwork Block – Burnt Ombre

Laminate Flooring Quality & Value

All of these new laminate floors have a 50-year warranty; a wear layer called VisionGuard that protects the floor from staining, fading, and wear-through; and HydraCore Plus, a built-in performance core that provides durability, moisture resistance, and gives the floor a substantial feel.

Typically, you’re advised to have some percentage of “waste” flooring when you do a project. Sometimes, people end up with some extra flooring at the end of a project, which in turn ends up occupying some serious storage space in basements and closets everywhere.

What to do with those extra pieces? It’s time to get creative with your leftovers! We’ll show you four innovative ways others have used their extra flooring.

Floor Board Painted Wall Art: Part I

Photo Credit – Becca Diestelkamp-Woodham – DIY Vintage Chic

Becca Diestelkamp-Woodham over at Vintage Chic designed a very creative piece of wall art using leftover floorboards from The Upcycle Exchange in St. Louis. Just glue together leftover floor boards into the shape and size you want. Then paint, stencil, or do an image transfer onto the wood, add some picture hangers, and you’re done!

Here’s a Pottery Barn-inspired piece that Michelle Hinckley from 4Men1Lady has created. This shows how you can get inspired by something you like and create it yourself. Michelle used some leftover hardwood flooring, some contact paper and paint to create this amazing artwork and we have to hand it to her…it’s great!

Indie from Red House Garden shows how she created another fabulous piece of wall art from leftover wood flooring. This rustic looking piece was the perfect accent to Indie’s gorgeous wall color choice, and was easy to make and hang.

Finally, Alexis Middleton from Persia Lou shows us how to make beautiful botanical artwork out of leftover laminate flooring. You do need a miter saw for this one, but the end result is truly stunning.

You’ve probably seen our Facebook posts for Throwback Thursday. And while we often poke a little fun at the colorful, busy designs depicted in those vintage ads, we have a lot of respect for the designer responsible for those creations. Hazel Dell Brown, the chief interior designer for Armstrong for 36 years between 1921 and 1956, holds a place in our company’s history, and in our hearts.

Hazel Dell Brown was a powerful woman for the times. Like many of her generation, Mrs. Brown’s story is a testament to determination. She grew up terribly poor, but was raised by industrious and inventive parents who fostered her love of art. A scholarship enabled her to study at the Pratt Institute in New York.

Shortly before she took up studies in New York, Hazel married Glenn Brown, who in two short months was to leave for France for WWI. Her new husband was gone for the better part of her first year of studies and it was then that she learned that he had been killed in action. Despite this terrible news, she continued her studies and in 1920 was appointed to be one of the assistant supervisors of art for Indianapolis public schools.

Now here’s where it gets interesting. In 1921 her supervisor received a letter from “the sales manager” at the Armstrong Cork Company asking for a recommendation for a designer to take charge of the interior design at the company. She recommended Ms. Brown, and the rest is history.

According to the Indianapolis Sunday Star in 1923, it must have been quite an experience. “What her employers thought when the 5-foot stylishly dressed young woman appeared in their offices in October 1921 history does not record. It was a modern and feminine version of the story of David and Goliath.” What followed was a long and prolific career, where she was responsible for producing the interior design content for ads, publications, and other promotional materials for the company for over 30 years.

She’s quoted as saying that she was still using her teaching skills, “…but now, instead of working with my classes of Indianapolis boys and girls, I am teaching the women of the whole country to love beautiful colors and harmonious combinations in their own homes.”

Mrs. Brown was an early pioneer of the “creative upcycling” movement as well. She had to be; her design career spanned the Great Depression and WWII. When times were tough, she got creative, explaining in her 1941 booklet “Album of Room Ideas” that with some basic decorating skills and extra fabric, you could turn the dull and boring bedroom in a lively new room without needing to purchase much beyond some extra fabric. A crusader of the “small space” movement, she recognized that small kitchens were the norm – and showed how they could still be “lovely and functional spaces.” And there were plenty of suggestions for turning attics, basements and spare bedrooms into lovely “apartments” for elderly parents or growing children.

Another favorite from “Album of Room Ideas” published in 1941, shows how to turn a “dusty old attic” into “glamour room for a teenage girl.”

Although she retired in 1957 and passed away in 1982, there is no question that Hazel Dell Brown left an indelible – and colorful – mark on the rich heritage of design at Armstrong.

We’ll close with a quote from Mrs. Brown, as her advice still rings true today: “[And] that’s something to remember about interior decoration – don’t be afraid to use your own ideas. They’re what give a room charm and make it reflect your personality instead of being a copy of what you might find in almost any home.”

If you missed NBC’s “American Dream Builders” on April 27, you missed a special appearance by Mara Villanueva-Heras, VP, Residential Marketing – Armstrong Floor Products.

The design competition show aired weekly on NBC on Sundays. In each episode, a team of designers competed in a variety of home renovation scenarios and one of the designers was eliminated at the end of each show.

The upside of this competitive landscape was that one or more lucky families got their home renovated by interior design rock stars, using industry leading products like Armstrong and Bruce flooring.

Mara appeared on Episode 7 as an industry expert and one of the “Neighborhood Council” members – a group who review, comment, and vote on the designers’ work in the weekly renovation competition. We interviewed Mara about her experience:

Q: What was the theme for this episode?

A: On Episode 7, the teams are remodeling a duplex. This was an especially moving episode because the father in the extended family is confined to a wheelchair, so mobility in the duplex is an issue. It was really important for the teams to take ADA accessibility into account on this episode.

Q: What was it like “behind the scenes?”

A: It was a really fun experience. It was particularly great to meet the deserving family and hear their story. The homes were beautiful and changes to the father’s bedroom and bath (which were not shown) will be truly life-changing for him. The designers did such fabulous work making the homes beautiful and functional.

Q: Did you get to meet any of the designers or hosts?

A: Yes, I met a lot of them, and they were great. Monica Pederson was excited and enthusiastic, and Nate Berkus and Eddie George were there with the Neighborhood Council as well.

Q: What did you do on the show?

A: We spent a lot of time with the neighborhood council walking through the homes talking about what we liked and didn’t like with the designs. The voting process allowed the feelings of the everyday homeowner to come through since they really did pull neighbors into the process to vote. We saw both homes in full and critiqued every space.

Q: What did you think of how they used Armstrong flooring in their designs?

A: One team chose a really dark wood floor which contrasted beautifully with the design and really allowed the furniture and decorative elements in the rooms to stand out. Both teams used Bruce hardwood floors which added a level of warmth, sophistication and timeless appeal to their spaces.

A: Overall, this was just a really rewarding experience for me. It was fun to participate in an event like this and to see the looks on the family’s faces as they went through their new ADA-accessible home. I loved it.

Thanks Mara! Sounds like it was a great experience. If you missed the episode, you can watch it on NBC.com.